C.J. Urban - Julie Townsend 01 - Hidden Intent by C.J. Urban Page A

then shook his head. “You have a point.”
    Despite never having broken into a building before, Julie felt safe and capable as she held Skye’s hand, as if she was drawing strength straight from him. As they stood at the foot of the steps outside the restaurant waiting for their car, Julie took one last look at the sparkling landscape, her insides feeling as lit up as the city.
    She waited as the valet driver pulled up, and thanked him as he opened her door for her. She climbed in and felt the acceleration of the truck as they drove off toward City Hall. She watched Skye as he drove, hoping she wasn’t making a terrible mistake.
     
     
     
    Chapter 20
     
     
    Skye motioned for Julie to follow him in the shadow of the night. Keeping his body crouched low, he turned briefly to make sure Julie was staying low, too, and then turned his attention to the large metal side door they had just come up on. He glanced around to make sure they were alone, then pulled a tiny, flat-head screwdriver and a long thin piece of metal out of his pocket and went to work on the lock.
    This side door wasn’t as secure as Skye had thought it would be, which worried him, but he didn’t mention it to Julie. He knew they would be calmer once inside the City Hall.
    Skye finally heard the familiar sounds and clicks of an opened lock and slowly pulled the door open by its small handle. He could feel Julie’s hand wrapped around his wrist, and heard the soft thud of the door as it closed behind her. He let out the breath he had been holding.
    The surrounding area was bathed in semi-darkness, and Skye wasn’t really sure where they were in the building. They seemed to have entered into a storeroom, filled with large cardboard boxes and buckets and bleach-soaked rags hanging over the sides. The damp rags created a stifling stench in the room, and Skye coughed several times trying to rid his lungs of the poisonous fumes.
    Moving carefully, Skye found a door that he hoped led into a part of the building he was familiar with, and upon opening it, found it led straight into the main hallway. Skye pressed a finger to Julie’s lips and strained his ears, listening for anyone else in the building. After several moments of silence, he felt it was safe to move on.
    The hall was dimly lit, which allowed Skye to turn off the small flashlight he was holding and stow it in his front pocket. He knew the clerk’s office was only a few feet away, but was starting to get an eerie feeling. Still crouching, he walked along the wall until he reached the clerk’s office and quickly checked the door.
    “I’ll have to break this one open too,” he whispered to Julie.
    “Just hurry. I think I heard something.”
    As quietly as he possibly could, Skye worked on the door to get it open. Suddenly he felt a furious tapping on his shoulder.
    “I heard something down the hall, Skye. There’s someone else here.”
    The door clicked and Skye cautiously pushed it open. He heard Julie’s hushed footsteps behind him, and then she gently pushed the door closed.
    “Good thing the building is old,” Sky whispered. “The locks are pretty easy.”
    “Shh,” Julie replied. “I hear it again.”
    Skye peered through the milky glass and felt a jolt pierce through him as a shadow silently moved in front of the door. He held his breath, sure that whoever it was would come in, but the shadow suddenly moved across the door and disappeared.
    “We need to get in and out of here as fast as we can. We’re not alone.”
    Skye led Julie around the front desk, through a short saloon-style swinging door, glancing to the back of the room. He hadn’t ever been here before, but felt sure that the door at the back would lead them to where they needed to go. He looked back at Julie, and she confirmed his suspicions as she pointed to the door and mouthed, “That’s the one.”
    The door was locked, and Skye was just about to begin working on the lock when Julie tapped him roughly on the